oof strawberryrock, that's super awkard! Is it at least a person who has experienced awful menstrual cramps before? Cuz that would at least be marginally better.

((hugs)) torque. That sounds like the most evil period!

I didn't really ask what her periods were like, but at least it's someone who has periods...she was really sweet about it. I ended up curled up naked on the couch for a while because I had just gotten out of the bath and was afraid I would throw up on her if I got back in bed, but I think she was asleep at that point.

_________________"No one with hair so soft and glossy could ever be bad at anything." - Tofulish

Ugh. So I went on Ortho Tri Cyclen when I was 18 and I thought it was great. After a year or two my doctor recommended Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo, so I started taking that. After being on birth control for six years, I decided to go off completely, as I was starting to wonder how the hormones were affecting me. And holy crepe, I felt like a new woman. My periods were unpredictable (I'd start synching to my roommate or to the moon, haha), but they were always short. It was easy to keep my weight down. I felt clear headed. I experienced no PMS symptoms at all. But two years ago, when my boyfriend and I started dating, I decided to go on the Ring (thinking that localized hormones would be better than taking a pill). And, perhaps unfairly, I blame it for all of my problems.

I'm PMSing right now and, in what has become normal for me, I get angry/upset/depressed at everything. I cramp a bit (and sometimes a lot), I get bloated, my skin looks awful, my mood swings are nuts, I get weird cravings, and my libido is gone. For the other three weeks of the month, I deal with an inconsistent libido, minor mood swings, and trouble with losing weight. I feel like each month this gets worse and worse, especially in the last year.

I've thought about switching to a hormonal IUD, but I'm wondering if the levels are really any different. It sounds like the copper IUD will just make half of this worse. Going off all birth control again is not an option.

Excuse me while I go find some chocolate and red wine.

_________________"The time has come," the Walrus said,"To talk of many things:Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax,Of Capsicums & Things."

Nuvaring is systemic hormones, just like the pill. The hormones are just absorbed through the vagina rather than the GI tract. The progesterone IUD really is only local with negligible systemic levels.

Ugh, so my period is due pretty much anytime now, and the past few days I've been super emotional. Today I just really want to curl up in a ball and cry. Really, really wish finals weren't next week so I could blow off homework tonight to watch Top Gear.

So my period ended up last for two weeks - there was 5-6 days of just spotting in the middle before I finally got a diva-cup worthy amount of blood for three days and it finally ended four or five days ago. I'm sure it was from stress but that's never happened to me before and now I have no idea when to expect my next period - is it going to still come 28-30 days after this last one STARTED or is this really going to throw my cycle off whack?

I would say it also depends on how old you are. I was getting my period every 2 weeks and then started spotting in between. The doctor refered me to an OBGYN and I had to wait 3 months (bleeding to some degree every day) before I got an appointment. She put me on the pill and informed me it was likely pre-menopause. I was pretty shocked, I always thought your periods got further apart when you were going into menopause, not closer together.

I would think that the pill would help with PMS symptoms, but nope. I've been a bear the last week. And normally I get my period on Thursday morning, but I guess because of stress it took me until the end of the day Thursday to get it...when it started coming I literally felt my whole uterus seize up and I just knew. Anyone else able to tell when their period is going to start right before it happens?

_________________Did you notice the slight feeling of panic at the words "Chicken Basin Street"? Like someone was walking over your grave? Try not to remember. We must never remember. - mumblesIs this about devilberries and nazifruit again? - footface

The weeks off the pill are horrible for me (and I can't get a prescription for more than 1 package every 4 weeks, so I have to have those weeks off). I eat 3500 kcal a day (while taking the pill, 1500-1800 is enough), I get acne, my horrible headaches are more frequent than while taking the pill, and, of course, I have menstrual cramps and pain. The cramps start the day before I start bleeding and last for 2-3 days.

My PMS symptoms have been getting worse and my periods have been growing farther and farther apart. Naturally, this makes me scared shiitake-less that I'm pregnant. EVERY MONTH. This month was 34 days from the first day of my last one to the start of this one. Of course I was hoping for it to come but not prepared so I got it when I was out walking around and shopping, fun!

I think i'm going to have my period while we're camping next week. Ugh. So now i'm pmsing hard. I want to eat everything in sight. Even those nasty dove chocolates someone left at my house last night want me to eat them.

Cramps for 3 days straight, awesome. Also, increased fatigue is making my anxiety worse. Though, part of the fatigue could be due to waking up every few hours because of intense pain from cramps. I really need to make an appointment with my doc to discuss getting back on the pill.

I had really horrible 2 week long pms symptoms this month. Now my period has started, and the mood swings are even worse. Yesterday, I would go from completely fine to total rage in about 2 seconds, and always over the stupidest things. I had to avoid people even more than usual because I was afraid I'd start shouting at them over nothing. Today I'm just weepy for no reason, which I guess is slightly better than rage-y. Maybe.

It hurts so bad! it's like this numb uterus pain with numb, crampy rays down into my thighs. Then my legs get really cold and my feet are basically ice. I am constantly cold and feel pretty uncomfortable. I really really want to get back on BC pills, but it looks like it will have to be mini pills this time, because of migraines. I hope the mini pills are as awesome and the regular BC pills in regards to making my periods light and non-existing ish!

Sucks when you have someone you've been dating for not very long over and then awful cramps hit you and you end up crying and taking a bath at 3am and lying on the bathroom floor trying not to throw up!

This sounds almost like the time I was staying at this guys house (we'd been dating for maybe a month) and then in the middle of the night I got a very very painful UTI - I woke up and couldn't fall asleep and had to get up and sit in the shower with scalding hot water on my stomach until I could reach the doctor (luckily we have a night doctor here who can prescribe meds!) who then made sure I could pick up some prescription antibiotics at the 24 hour pharmacy, which was LUCKILY on the road back to my apartment from his. I had to bike with this painful UTI in the middle of the night in the middle of winter and I just couldn't deal with him, so I left a note on a pillow and just went home. It was SO awkward being in an apartment with two dudes I didn't know at all, and this dude I was sort of seeing but mostly just sexing it up with, and being so so so sick. I think it must be on my top 3 of worst nights ever. I hope yours wasn't as bad.

You know what's amazing? When you're really stressed about something so your period is late, and literally within two hours of that stressful thing being over with, you get your period. High five, uterus.

_________________"The Tree is His Penis"

The tree is his penis // it's very exciting // when held up to his mouth // the lights are all lighting // his eyes start a-bulging // in unbridled glee // the tree is his penis // its beauty, effulgent -amandabear